Material diffusing head for container filling machines



Oct. 17, 1944. H. F. BRIGGS 2,360,756

MATERIAL DIFFUSING HEAD FOR CONTAINER FILLING MACHINES Filed March 28, 1941 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 17, 1944 MATERIAL DIFFUSING HEAD FOR C'ON- TAINER FILLING MACHINES Howland F. Briggs, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor to Consolidated Packaging Machinery Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y a corporation of New York Application March 28, 1941, Serial No. 386,515

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in powder filling machines and particularly seeksto provide novel means for uniformly distributing granular or powdery material throughout substantially the entire crosssection of a container being filled.

Filling machines of the type in connection with which this invention is employed generally fall within three categories. In certain forms of these machines the containers are passed over a settling device after filling in order to agitate the material and lower the level of the contents substantially below the edge of the container. Other forms of machines are adapted to fill the containers by compacting the contents so that the contents are pressed below the edge of the container in a substantially flat planer Still other forms of these machines deliver the material to the container without a subsequent settling operation or without positively compacting the contents and then pass the filled containers from the filling machine to a sealing machine. This invention relates particularly to this latter type of filling machine in which there are no settling or compacting operations. U. S. Letters Patent 1,981,485 and 2,054,290 illustrate the general types of filling machines in connection with which this invention may be employed.

The machines in connection with which this invention is particularly adapted to be used include bulk feeding and dribble feeding operations. The bulk feeding station delivers a specified amount of material into the container after which the container is subjected to a dribble feed operation where the material is added to the top of the bulk charge in order to accurately complete the proper filling of the container. Normally, after the dribble feed has been completed, the contents of the container have been pyramided into the carton in such a manner that the top portion of the contents extends above the edges of the carton defined by a fold line of the closing flaps thereof. Thus, it is obvious that when the filled carton is presented to a sealing machine, the glue roll of the sealing machine would tend to engage a certain amount of the contents. This produces several undesirable results which include at least partial contamination of the upper portion of the contents of the container and which may also cause particles of the contents to be disposed within the sealing area of the closure flaps of the carton and thus decrease the efiectiveness of sealing and subsequently present an unsightly appearance after the carton is opened.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a device associated with the filling elements of a filling machine which are effective to assure uniform distribution of the material throughout substantially the entire cross-sectional area of the container into which the material is being placed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated which is elTective -to cause delivery of the material into a container in such a manner that the highest level of the contents will be below the top edge of the container.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the character stated which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the nature of which will become more apparent, the invention will be more fully understood by reference to the drawing, the accompanying detailed description, and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a material diffuse head constructed in accordance with this invention;

, Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line 3, 3 of Fig. 2; and V Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4, 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the invention as illustrated is embodied in a diiiuser head generally indicated 5 and associated with the feed nozzle 6 of a container filling machine. The usual. feed auger l is rotatably carried within the feed nozzle and is coextensive in length therewith.

The diffuser head 5 comprises a pair of parallel walls 8, 8 maintained in spaced relation by a collar 9 adapted to be secured to the feed nozzle as by a set screw H]. A pair of oppositely directed deflecting plates or vanes I I, II are positioned intermediate the walls 8 and are disposed in planes slightly inclined to the horizontal. The apex formed by the plates l I is located beneath the lower end of the feed nozzle 6 and is disposed in proximity relative thereto. The central area defined by the apex forming portions of the plates H is cut away to define an orifice I2 through which a certain amount of material being fed from the feed nozzle may be directed. The material which drops through'the orifice l2 impinges against a pair of sharply inclined oppositely directed deflection plates or vanes l3, l3 positioned intermediate the walls 8 and beneath the deflection plates ll.

As material is forced from the feed nozzle 6 by the action of the auger l, a portion of it will impinge on the upper set of the plates H and be deflected outwardly towards the end walls of the container C being filled. In order that the material will not pile up in the corner portions of the container, the side walls 8 are provided with diagonally opposed inclined faces 14 (see Figs. 2 and 4) which direct the flow of material towards the central portions of the end walls of the container in the manner shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The remaining .portion of the material drops through the orifice l2 in the manner described and impinges against the lower sharply inclined plates I3 which direct the flow downwardly to the more central portions of the container. Thus, it will be readily apparent that the combined deflecting effect of the plates H and the plates I3 is to distribute the material being fed from the nozzle 5 in a substantially uniform manner over the entire crosssectional area of the associated container and to eliminate the formation of a heap of material which would have its top portion'projecting above the upper edge of the container. It should be noted that the diameter of the orifice l2 should be less than the inside diameter of the feed nozzle 6 to assure impingement of material against the upper plates l l and to assure the resultant proper distribution of such material.

It should also be noted that a material diffusing head embodying the principles of this invention may be either fabricated from a number of separate elements properly secured. together or may-be formed as a single casting. It is obvious that the shapes of the various parts comprising the diffuser head may be varied in accordance with varying cross-sectional shapes of containers to be filled in order to assure proper distribution of material therein.

Thus, it will be seen that the herein disclosed invention provides a novel material diffusing head particularly adapted for use in connection with container filling machines, which effectively distributes material in a substantially uniform manner throughout the entire cross-sectional area of a container, and which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

It is of course to be understood that certain details of arrangement and proportions of parts may be variously modified without exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A material distributing head for use in connection with feed nozzles of container filling machines and comprising a mounting collar, a pair of vertically disposed spaced parallel side walls dependably carried by said collar, a pair of oppositely directed inclined deflecting plates secured intermediate said walls and including an apex portion having its central area cut away to define an orifice of less area than the area of a feed nozzle with which the distributing head 'is adapted to be associated, and a second pair of oppositely directed sharply inclined deflecting .plates secured intermediate said walls beneath 'said first mentioned plates and forming an apex chines and comprising means for mounting said.

distributing head in proximity to a feed nozzle, anupper set of deflecting plates carried by said mounting means and adapted to abruptly deflect material outwardly and characterized by an orifice disposed in substantial vertical alignment with a feed nozzle with which the head is adapted to be associated and having an area less than the area of such feed nozzle, and a lower set of deflecting plates located beneath said orifice in substantial vertical alignment therewith and adapted to deflect material falling through said orifice less abruptly than said upper plates.

3. A material distributing head for use in connection with feed nozzles of container filling machines and comprising means for mounting said distributing head in proximity to a feed,

nozzle, an upper set of deflectors carried by said mounting means and adapted to deflect material outwardly and characterized by an orifice having an area less than the area of said feed nozzle and disposed in substantial vertical alignment therewith, and a lower set of deflectors of less extent than said upper deflectors and located beneath said orifice in substantial vertical alignment therewith and adapted to deflect material falling through said orifice less widely than said upper deflectors.

I-IOWLAND F. BRIGGS. 

